


Let The World Catch Fire

by lifeofgesture



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Mass Effect, Naruto, Worm - Wildbow, ゼロの使い魔 | Zero no Tsukaima | The Familiar of Zero
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-22 10:16:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9603572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeofgesture/pseuds/lifeofgesture
Summary: Louise never expected four familiars ... or for them to be so stubborn! Join Louise, Sakura Haruno, Taylor Hebert, Sansa Stark and Commander Shepard as they journey amongst the universes to kick ass, save each other, and have some fun.





	1. 1.0 The A-Team?

Taylor opened her eyes.

This was wrong.

She should be dead.

A red headed woman in strange armor and a pink haired teen was standing above her in concern.

"You okay? I'm Shepard." She asked, her voice charismatic, offering her hand to Taylor's working arm. She accepted it unsteadily while the pink hair girl was looking at her wounds with a glowing green hand and chattering in Japanese. There was another red haired teen in archaic dress sitting on the ground looking like she was in shock at the strange creatures surrounding them.

"She's Haruno Sakura apparently. You've been through the ringer according to her." Shepard indicated to the pink haired girl with two fingers. "And she's Sansa Stark. Did you get here through a green portal too?"

" ... " Taylor untangled her tongue, long unused. "I ... don't remember ..."

"Louise the Zero again! How much money did it take to hire four commoners?!" A boy jeered in the crowd.

"Hm. The rest of us did." Shepard tapped something out on a hard light console on her arm. Tinker tech? "No satellites, no internet, I think our best bet is to talk to miss Louise."

"Shut up! I ... I just made a little mistake!" Louise snapped back.

"Miss Louise." Shepard interrupted the teasing, putting a hand on Louise's shoulder. "We have urgent business, friends, and families to return to. Do you know a way to return us home?"

She blinked. "B-but you're my familiars! You can't go!" She sounded desperate.

"And what does that entail?" Shepard asked, raising an eyebrow. "I already have a full time job." Sansa stood up and hid behind Sakura and me as we stood behind Shepard.

Louise flushed. "I-I, kiss you, the runes are placed ... and you, uhm, serve me."

"What kind of runes? What do they do? And is this a paid service?" Shepard asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't know what kind of runes. It's different for each mage." Louise hedged nervously under her steady gaze. "And I, I can pay you!"

"I'm afraid we don't know a way back for you. We've never had a situation like this before." The bald adult man interjected. "I'm Colbert. Your name is Shepard?"

"Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy." She replied back, with a touch of pride. "This is Sakura Haruno, Taylor, and Sansa Stark. And can't you reverse engineer the process?"

Sakura said something and looked frustrated once it became clear no one understood her. Colbert raised his wand and everyone in the group tensed.

"I have a translation spell." He explained, which Shepard relayed. "And the intricacies of the Springtime Familiar ritual do not work that way."

Louise looked mildly thoughtful at the idea though. "I've studied it thoroughly. I wonder ..." Colbert performed the spell and Sakura looked relieved at being able to understand everyone.

"Thank you so much. So, let me get this straight, you can't bring us back home?" Sakura asked angrily.

"No. But commoners like you should be honored to have a noble do this to you!" Louise defended herself, before wilting under the glares of Taylor, Shepard, and Sakura. Sakura started towards her, but Shepard put a hand on her shoulder.

"Alright. We can't go home. Yet. Miss Louise seems to have some ideas, but for the meantime, you put up boarding and food for us. Without putting mysterious runes on us." Shepard stated firmly.

Louise flushed. "But-,"

"That is the very least you can do for us after taking us from our homes." Shepard said, folding her arms. "I can work for extra pay, but that's me. The rest of us are not obligated to work as servants for you."

"Looks like the commoners are bossing the Zero around!" Someone crowed in the crowd, before Shepard gave a glare into the crowd.

"Look, the next class is starting soon, Miss Valliere." Colbert said, frowning. "Finish your arrangements with your familiars-," They collectively glared at him, and he amended his words. "With these people soon. We'll see you then."

Taylor blinked as they all collectively flew up into the sky.

"No wires Ma." Shepard said wryly.

"Why are you so insubordinate!" Louise cried out, frustrated. "Four commoners?! What kind of joke is this?"

"I am the daughter of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Stark. I am not a commoner." Sansa said finally with some heat in her voice. Louise paled.

"I-I am sorry. Oh no, what will Mother do to me if she hears I contracted a noble!?" Louise said fearfully.

Taylor shrugged, then a thought occurred to her.

"What are your powers?" She asked the rest of them.

"I'm a Sentinal. Tech/Biotic." She extended a blade from her orange console silencing Louise's nervous mumbling. "Good at engineering and moving stuff with my mind."

She waved her arm at a rock and a blue energy covered it, lifting it from the ground. "Like so."

"You're a mage?!" Louise exclaimed in shock. Shepard shook her head.

"Probably not. I don't need those sticks you people have." Louise blinked in realization as she didn't see a wand.

"I'm ... Haruno Sakura. I'm a medical shinobi from Konoha, tutored under Tsunade." At their blank looks, she sighed. "Right, different worlds. I'm really good at healing people and punching things. Shepard, can you give me that rock?"

Shepard pulled the rock to Sakura and she caught it in her hand. With ease, she crushed it in her fist. Louise gaped.

Taylor wryly grimaced as they looked at her. "I ... lost my powers." The senses she had before were completely gone.

"What were they?" Sakura asked.

Taylor shifted. "Bug control."

Louise and Sansa made a face as Shepard and Sakura nodded thoughtfully. Sakura muttered something about 'Aburame'.

"What kind of magic are you people using? Wind, Earth?!" Louise asked, stepping into Shepard's space, curious and shocked at the same time.

"Element Zero." Shepard said tapping the side of her head.

"Chakra." Sakura said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I ... I ..." Louise held her head. "Argggh!!!"


	2. 1.1 Contracts

"You're making fun of me!" Louise said accusingly. Shepard raised her arms placatingly.

"No, that's just what material that lets me do awesome stuff is called. It's in my head." She explained. Sakura looked at her curiously.

"Chakra is an energy field in the body." Sakura explained, restraining herself from going more in depth as a medic nin.

"I-in the head?! Body!? Is this, this must be some kind of prank!" Louise started poking Shepard threateningly with her wand, who merely looked amused. "Who put you up to this? Kirche?! Chevreuse the Common Cold?!"

"We're not a prank, Miss Louise. We came through portals and now we're stuck here until you get us home." Shepard said calmly. It cut through Louise's hysteria.

"Me? You're not even my familiars!" She snapped. "In fact, why should I help any of you if none of you are going to be my familiar!?"

"Because it's the right thing to do." Shepard stated firmly. Louise clenched her fists.

"No!" She shouted. "I don't care about that! If I'm to help you, I want one of you to be my familiar!"

Shepard frowned and Sakura glared at her, but Sansa stepped forward. "I will do it."

Louise blinked. "B-but you're a noble. It would be improper to make you a familiar!"

"But it's okay to make me one?" Taylor said dryly. Louise fumed, rounding on Taylor, but Sansa raised a hand.

"I was being held hostage by a ... dangerous group of people." Sansa said quietly. "I feel that I owe you favor for rescuing me from there."

"You don't-" Shepard started, before being interrupted by Sansa shaking her head.

"I also want to go home, so if going through this ritual is the price I need to pay, I shall pay it." Sansa said. Louise worried her lip nervously and Shepard sighed, putting a hand over her face.

"Fine, but we're drawing up contracts for this." She said flatly.

\---

Louise groaned as she rewrote the contract for the fifth time. Her writing hand ached. "Is this to your satisfaction?" She said acerbically as she thrust the paper into Shepard's hands. The four of them looked over it again and Louise prayed to the Founder Brimir that this was the last time. They had gone to the library and took paper to write a contract.

"Yep!" Shepard said chirpily. Sansa nodded quietly while Sakura gave a begrudging nod. Taylor shrugged.

"Finally!" Louise raised her wand and walked towards the nervous Sansa. Chanting over and over, "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being and make her my familiar."

Louise blushed as she kissed Sansa and the other girl was flushed as well. Sansa hissed suddenly as the runes appeared on hand, Sakura appearing at her side in a flash with a glowing green hand.

"Are you in pain?" Sakura asked, glaring at Louise.

"It's the Familiar's Runes being inscribed." Louise snapped defensively. "It'll be over soon."

"It's not pain, just burning up suddenly ..." Sansa reassured Sakura, though she still held a flinty look in her eyes as she stepped back from Sansa. Louise scowled back at her. Before anything could happen, Shepard clasped her hands together.

"Well it's been a long day for all of us so we'll find where the servants sleep until Miss Valliere can find accommodations for us." Shepard said.

"As per the contract." Louise said sourly. No other mage had to write up a ridiculous contract for their familiars! The things they had demanded! But they did have impressive abilities, if their claims were true ... Except for Sansa.

They left Sansa, who Louise wanted by her side in the contract if she was to be her familiar, and Louise who sighed suddenly.

"Lady Valliere?" Sansa said hesitantly.

"Let's just go to my room Miss Stark." Louise muttered.


	3. 1.2 Food For Thought

Shepard leaned back in the chair. The servants had helped them find a room, though there was only one available. They managed to wrangle three mattresses at the least and an extra desk and chair for their use as well. Shepard's armor was sitting upright against the wall which Sakura had found fascinating to watch her get out of. Taylor took it more in stride, but was impressed by Shepard's claim that kind of armor was mass produced. Sakura had healed most of Taylor's superficial injuries though she had said the brain damage was irreversible due to the delicacy of the tissue there. Taylor accepted it as she hadn't even expected to wake up after Contessa shot her in the head. Sakura was brushing the tangles out of her hair while Taylor bundled herself in some blankets while getting dangerously close to dozing off.

"So let me get this straight, you're a ninja doctor, and you're a superhero who fought a genocidal multi-dimensional monster. I'm worried what Sansa's going to be now." Shepard joked wryly.

"You're a psychic space lady ..." Taylor mumbled. Sakura nodded in agreement. Shepard grinned.

"That's psychic space agent to you." She corrected, before realizing Taylor was asleep already. She stood and started stretching. "Right, time for bed. See you in the morning at 0700, Haruno."

Sakura nodded absently and frowned down at Taylor. "You know ..."

"Yeah, kid has a stare that would put some veterans I know to shame. Sansa too though it's not quite as bad." Shepard said softly. "But the only thing we can do is be there for them. We're not trained therapists." She sighed.

\---

Louise found that having Sansa as a familiar was frustrating. She couldn't order her around like a servant because she was a noble, even if she couldn't do magic, but it meant Sansa couldn't do anything for her! Well, Sansa did help her with her weaving and taught her a dance from her homeland, but none of that was what a familiar was supposed to do! They were supposed to be strong and beautiful! Well, Sansa was beautiful ... b-but she was totally useless in fighting!

But, as she was reminded as the rest of them stepped into view, her other familiars were very good at fighting. Shepard strode forward confidently like a leader in her strange and impressive armor, while Haruno took the right side of her, and Taylor trailed behind, Louise remembering the scary intensity she brought in everything she did despite having no abilities like Sansa.

"Good morning Louise!" Kirche exclaimed behind her, making Louise grind her teeth.

"Good morning ... Kirche." She said, grimacing. Kirche tossed her hair and grinned.

"I can't believe you summoned four commoners with the 'Summon Servant' Spell!" Kirche said with a laugh.

"I'm not a commoner. I am the daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark." Sansa said with some heat. Kirche raised her eyebrows.

"You made a noble a servant?" Kirche asked, even sounding slightly concerned.

"It's a partnership, Miss ..." Shepard interrupted as they finally made it down the long hallway. Kirche looked her up and down and Louise flushed as she saw her licking her lips. Hey, stay away from my familiar you hussy!

"Miss Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst." She said proudly as she casually fingered the collar of her open blouse. Shepard gave her an amused smile and extended a hand out to her which Kirche took. Hey, don't shake the hands of the hussy, familiar!!

"Miss Zerbst. It's nice to meet you." She said charmingly as she looked into her eyes. "I'm afraid we have to go eat breakfast, or otherwise we'd stick around to talk to one of Louise's friends."

Friends!?!!!

"Friends?!" Kirche said incredulously. She then laughed coyly covering her mouth. "You're too funny miss Shepard, we're from rival families!"

"Ah, shame." Shepard said with genuine disappointment. Sakura was holding back an angry Louise while Taylor asked Sansa how her night went. "Still miss Zerbst, you shouldn't let past bad blood dictate the future. You lose out, trust me."

As they left, Kirche looked at her back with an unreadable look as she tapped her lips with a finger.

"Hmm."

\---

Louise kicked Shepard and then yelped as her foot bounced off. "Ouch! What is that accursed armor made of?!"

"The best shit money can buy." Shepard said, grinning as she rapped the chest plate with her knuckles. "So what's bugging you?"

"Being friendly to a Zerbst!" Louise accused, pointing at Shepard dramatically. Taylor snorted.

"Being's nice isn't a crime the last time I checked." She said wryly.

"Didn't you hear her?! We're from rival families! Kirche especially does nothing but insult me!" Louise raged.

"Ah, I'm sure she'll start being nicer to you." Shepard said, grinning.

"On what basis do you found that on?" Louise said suspiciously.

She whistled innocently. "She wants to be really good friends with me."

Louise took a pause to take that in and then flushed, sputtering spectacularly. As they entered the dining hall, everyone saw Louise covering her red face in her hands and her familiars laughing at her.

They all took seats at the table, ignoring the stares. Shepard reached for the mashed potatoes when someone spoke up.

"H-hey! You shouldn't be sitting here!" A pudgy boy said indignantly. Shepard raised an eyebrow even as she started spooning out portions for herself and the others.

"And why's that?" Sakura said tartly, spinning her fork in her hand with amazing dexterity.

"You're commoners." He said as if it were obvious. He cleared his throat and recited something. " 'Nobles achieve nobility through the use of magic.' This dining hall is only for nobles."

"That's nice, kid." Shepard said distractedly as she cut the roast chicken into slices and put slices on Taylor's plate. He fumed and pulled out his wand to teach her a lesson when Sakura flicked her fork and pinned his wand to a marble column. He gaped at the empty space where his wand used to be before turning around to find it behind him on the column. He ran to it and started vainly trying to get it out of the column.

"How'd you do that without a wand?" Someone asked Sakura in amazement. She accepted another fork from Shepard who was then trying to convince Taylor to take another portion of food.

"I'm a ninja."


	4. 1.3 Talking Slugs???

Sakura and Taylor stood around outside of Louise's classroom. Shepard decided to go to the library to read up on the history of the world they were in while the two of them waited for Louise as they were her employees now. Sakura glanced at Taylor thoughtfully.

"I bet Shino would have liked to know you." She said speculatively. Taylor raised her eyebrows.

"Shino?"

"He's a fellow ninja I know. His whole clan carries bugs inside themselves that can do all kinds of stuff." She said. Taylor took that in. Being able to hold bugs inside the body would have been useful for a few occasions even if it would have taking time to adjust to the literal crawling in her skin. "I think you're kind of his type anyways."

Taylor chuckled humorlessly. "I don't think I'm anyone's type."

"Oh shush you. If Ino could get her hands on you, you'd have people eating out of your hands in no time." Sakura pursed her lips and looked melancholy after saying that. "Can't believe I miss Ino-pig already." At Taylor's questioning look, she added, "She's my best friend, but we squabble all the time."

"Ah." Taylor said. She wondered if Aisha and Lisa counted as her best friends after everything ... "Does she have a special power too?"

"Her family does mind control techniques." Sakura paused. "I've never thought how bad that sounds until I said it now."

"So they're like a bunch of Heartbreakers?" Taylor said, tilting her head. That sounded terrifying.

"Heartbreaker?" Sakura echoed.

"A supervillain who could control people with their emotions. He was a rapist and all around scumbag." She clarified. Sakura looked disgusted and shook her head.

"No! Absolutely not like that! I mean, I guess the Yamanakas could do some really bad stuff, but the Hokage would punish them if they did!" Sakura protested. Taylor was unconvinced, but didn't let anything show on her face.

"You said earlier, you were the Hokage's apprentice. That's where you learned how to heal?" Sakura asked. She wondered what kind of world made a doctor a leader, but maybe there were things she didn't realize yet. Sakura grinned.

"Yeah, Tsunade-sama taught me everything she knows. She's the best medic nin in the world and one of the strongest too." Sakura blinked. "Wait. Oh I've been so stupid!"

Sakura pulled out a strange knife from her pouch and nicked herself on the shoulder. Taylor watched curiously, but kept silent. After dabbing a finger in the blood, Sakura took a deep breath and slapped the ground. There was a puff of smoke and a ... slug was there.

"Sakura-chan!" It cried out, wiggling in excitement. Sakura scooped the slug into her hands and looked excited and contrite. "Where have you been?"

Talking slugs. Taylor pinched herself and sighed at the pain. Sadly not a dream.

"I'm so sorry Emi! I forgot I could do the summoning." Sakura bit her lip. "How mad is Tsunade-sama?"

"She's so worried, Sakura-chan!" Emi paused her wiggling. "But she'll probably get mad if you don't come home soon!"

"I can't!" Sakura said, frustrated. "This isn't our country. This isn't even our planet. They've got two moons here."

"This place does feel weird." Emi said nodding. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, I'll tell Tsunade-sama and we'll get you back!"

"We're working on it on our side too." Taylor interrupted. Emi looked at her with wide eyes.

"This is Taylor, Emi. She's good people." Sakura said, as Taylor shifted. "I'm also with a soldier named Shepard, a noble girl named Sansa. We're uh, working for a girl named Louise. Food and pay. She's also working on getting us home."

Emi nodded. "Alright, bye Sakura-chan!" She disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

"So. That happened."

Sakura blinked at Taylor. "What?"


	5. 1.4 This is Some Anime Shit

After Louise's classes ended, they ended up in the library with Louise researching the Summoning spell while the rest of them chatted. Students lingered, watching them from afar, but were otherwise too nervous or scared to approach. Shepard cheerily waved at a quivering first year.

"So, do you think you could use your summoning technique to get us back home?" Shepard asked, leaning back as they fled.

"I'm not sure." Sakura hedged. "From what I understand of the summoning technique, you need someone at the other end. So ..."

"Ah, got it." Shepard frowned in disappointment. "So not really an avenue for anyone else except you. Maybe--"

Louise slammed her book closed and stomped outside. Sansa mumbled an excuse and hurried after her. Shepard hummed as Sakura pursed her lips in irritation. Shepard then took out a bottle of purple liquid and swished it around speculatively.

"How much do you think I could get for this?"

\---

Stupid Sakura. Stupid Shepard. Stupid everyone. Louise's thoughts ran endlessly in a loop as she strode across the lawn of the academy.

"Louise?" Sansa's sweet voice carried over the lawn. Louise turned sharply, stopping Sansa in her tracks.

"What?" She snapped, feeling a little regret at the flinch Sansa made.

"I'm sorry you're upset." Sansa said, a breeze catching her hair. Her hair looked like sparks in the sunlight.

"Why are you sorry?" Louise said stiffly. "I'm the useless zero who ruins everything, so much so that even her familiars don't want to stay with her!!"

"You're not useless." Sansa said softly.

"Shut up! What do you know?!" Louise snapped, her hands curling into fists. She stalked forward, shoving her teary face into Sansa's.

Sansa leaned back but didn't step away. Louise could see her shake as her hands took Louise's own into hers.

"As someone who is actually useless, I can tell you that you are not." Sansa's eyes turned distant and glassy as she rubbed Louise's hands soothingly with her thumbs. "I wanted to marry a prince. So when my father was going to take me back home, I told the queen. Then Eddard Stark was stripped of his titles and executed as a traitor to the Crown."

Louise's voice was caught in her throat. What? She could feel Sansa's hands trembling increase.

"For what I've done ... My family will never take me back." She whispered. "So if you'll have me, a stupid useless girl ..."

Louise, gingerly, took the other crying girl into her arms.


	6. 1.5 The Birth of a Dream

Louise and Sansa sat on the grass of the lawn quietly after they calmed down, watching the sun set in silence. Sansa idly braided Louise's hair into a loose plait. They turned when they heard people approaching through the grass.

"Hey guys." Shepard greeted, as she ambled over with Taylor and Sakura. She plopped down next to Louise and looked out at the sunset as well. "We're probably not going to leave for a while, Louise. You'll have--"

"It's okay." Louise interrupted. "I, I wouldn't want to be separated from my family permanently either."

Shepard nodded. "Yeah, well, if we manage to find a two stable two way portal or something, I'd be glad to have you on the Normandy."

"Your ship, yes?" Louise said, recalling Shepard mentioning it earlier.

"Spaceship." Shepard corrected, pointing upwards to the sky.

"What, impossible!" Louise exclaimed, her eyes wide in amazement and disbelief. "There's no air there for a wind mage to move an air ship! Marion de la Roux was the only wind mage that ever got high enough for people to start floating and they crash landed afterwards!"

Shepard grinned. "Well you can be the first mage to be an astronaut then."

"Astronaut?" She asked curiously. Taylor smiled wryly as Sakura and Sansa leaned forward in interest.

"They're, hm, space explorers. They visit the moon or other planets." Shepard waved an arm idly across the sky, Louise's eyes tracking the movement. "Fly amongst the stars. I'm one."

"Wow." Louise stared at the night sky, trying to imagine being in that inky darkness amongst the stars. Sansa reached a hand out to the two moons while Sakura hooked her fingers under her chin in quiet wonder.

Even Brimir never went amongst the stars, Louise thought. "That's amazing."

\---

A few quiet days of research and classes and Shepard sighed in frustration in the library. Everyone looked up from the books they were reading, which included Kirche after Shepard charmed her into doing so, her friend Tabitha who seemed to like books already, and a maid named Siesta that Shepard asked to accompany her to town.

"From what I can tell, no one has the ability to open a portal except maybe a void mage like Brimir." Shepard rapped the cover of the fairy tale book that Taylor had found.

"And they're extinct." Sakura said sourly from the medical textbook she was correcting.

"I doubt that." Taylor said, sipping at the hot tea Siesta provided. "Dangers like that never stay gone without reason."

Louise gave her a scandalized look. "Brimir's legacy is not a threat."

Shepard raised her arms to placate her. "Aside from that, I was thinking maybe Brimir left some notes behind that we could look at. Do you know of anything like that, Louise?"

"Founder's prayer book." She said promptly, before her eyes widened. "But that's property of Tristain royalty!"

"Well you're a noble, can't you requisition it from them or something?" Shepard asked.

Louise looked uneasy. "I was ... Princess Henrietta's playmate when I was young ..."

"Oh?" Kirche quirked her eyebrows. "I was not aware of this, Valliere! How could you keep such a delicious tidbit away from our rivalry?"

Louise glared at her. "My associations are none of your business, Zerbst!"

Shepard clapped her hands, interrupting the brewing spat. "Excellent! Childhood friends should do favors for each other, right Louise?"

She sputtered. "This is more than a favor, Shepard! It is a sacred artifact of Tristain that is blank, I don't even know if square class water mage Princess Henrietta The Tempest even remembers me, and you still need a void mage to do the spell from all accounts!!"

Shepard waved that away. "Details."

"Arggh!" Louise dove on Shepard and started beating on her invincible armor with her fists. Siesta giggled at the sight while Kirche loudly lectured 'Valliere' on treating women correctly. Sansa delicately cleared her throat to catch everyone's attention and sighed when no one turned to her. Sakura patted her on the shoulder and gave a sharp whistle to catch their attention.

"So I have been thinking about Louise's magic and that all her spells end in explosions." Sansa hurried up after Louise's sour look. "There is a lot of accounts of your Founder using explosions in his battles so perhaps ..."

There was a long silence, that was finally punctured by Kirche snorting in disbelief. "Impossible!"

Shepard looked thoughtful while Taylor looked at Louise with a newfound wariness. Sakura casually did a few handsigns under her table as the conversation continued. "Huh."

"Don't entertain her daydream! Louise the Zero cannot possibly be the Founder's inheritor!" Kirche snapped.

"Kirche you know how I feel about that nickname." Shepard said idly. Kirche looked instantly contrite.

"I ... apologize. But still."

"It may seem unbelievable, but Louise can still do something even if it's just explosions. Think about it, what's more likely, that she's an element on your wheel or she's a whole new element altogether?" Taylor pointed out.

Despairingly, Kirche turned to her friend who turned a page on her book. "Tabitha, what do you think?"

She didn't even look from the book. "Possible."

Kirche groaned, snapped Louise out of her fugue. She bit her lip nervously and looked at Shepard who nodded at her encouragingly.

"I'll ... I'll write to Henrietta." I have to know. I have to.


	7. 1.6 Do We Have To?

Dearest Friend Henrietta,

...

Dear Princess Henrietta the Tempest,

I need

...

Dearest Princess Henrietta,

It is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, your humble servant. Your Highness, I must request a favor of you. I wish to acquire our Founder's prayer book in order to help my familiars back to their homes.

....

Louise stared at the latest version of her letter and sighed before burying her face in her hands. This was a political landmine she was stepping into. The audacity of writing a letter to her Highness ... Mother would kill her if she found out she was going to do this. Still she had an obligation to her familiars. At least she wasn't Guiche who had been dumped by Montmorency after losing her token of favor ... and then beaten up by her once it came out he had been two timing her with a first year. Not that he didn't deserve it, the idiot.

Sansa was out fetching reagents with Sakura and Taylor. Sansa had offered to help write it, but Louise had declined as she felt it was her duty. Shepard was ... doing something.

Maybe she should work on her letter to Mother? She wasn't low on money yet, but four salaries were eating into her funds at an alarming rate. She spun her wand, trying to imitate Sakura, as she mulled over which letter was more difficult.

She decided on the third option and pulled out a piece of paper for her sister Cattleya.

\---

Taylor held up the plant to her eye, trying to discern if it was a weed or a plant. Sakura's basket was the fullest so far so she had taken the opportunity to look for the rocks Louise had wanted, which mainly consisted of her doing something funny with her hands and then diving into the ground suddenly.

"Taylor?" Sansa said suddenly. "Do you think we'll ever get back home?"

Taylor shrugged. "I don't know. Honestly, I don't have a lot waiting back for me." Most likely what was waiting for her was a more thorough execution. She had no illusions about the depths of horror she had gone to.

"I suppose ... I don't either." Sansa said quietly. "I still miss Bran, Robb, Rickon, even Arya and Jon. But it was all my fault ..."

Taylor awkwardly plucked a herb as Sansa sniffled quietly.

"I'm sorry." Sansa said, wiping her tears on her sleeve. Sakura popped her head out of the ground like a mole and frowned.

"You guys can always stay in Konoha with my family." Sakura offered as she tossed out dozens of obsidian rocks into a basket.

Taylor blinked while Sansa blushed. "I am thinking of staying with Louise." Sansa confessed. Sakura made a face.

"But why? She thinks you're a glorified servant. Konoha has strict laws against indentured servitude." Sakura explained, as she pulled herself out and sat on the grass.

"It's not very terrible, honestly? She hardly asks me to do anything. It's like being friends with Jeyne ... " Then Sansa grew stony and shrunk inwards.

"Well that can always change. From what I've read of the laws here, you don't have much protections if a 'mage' decides to hurt you. It's only that you're considered Louise's familiar that grants you any protections because you're considered property." Sakura said, grimacing. Sansa mulled that over, looking troubled.

"I need to think it over." Sansa said quietly.

"I'd like to go." Taylor said suddenly. Sakura beamed.

"Great! As soon as Tsunade-sama figures out the power requirements for the reversal summoning scroll, we can definitely go!" Sakura said, excitedly. Sakura only summoned the slug once a day to check on the progress, as she didn't want to be too low on chakra in case anything happened.

Taylor casted an eye at the dimming sunlight. "We should probably get these reagents back to Louise first though."

Sakura looked at the sunset and nodded. "Well that's why we brought a cart."

Taylor cracked a small smile. It was always amusing to see the reactions of people when they saw Sakura pulling the cart by one hand.

\---

There was a huge cracking sound of a wall collapsing.

Sakura snapped her eyes opened and jumped to her feet in a flash with a kunai. Shepard was on her feet as well, holding her strange 'pistol' and Taylor was looking out of the window. Sansa was blearily sitting up in bed, wiping at her eyes.

"There's a giant rock monster with a person on its shoulder." Taylor reported. "I think it just came out of the vault?"

"Oh." Shepard reholstered her pistol. "Not our problem then."

Sakura thought about it and agreed with a nod.

"Can we go back to sleep?" Sansa asked with a yawn. Shepard patted her head.

"Yep."


	8. 1.7 Yes You Do

Louise craned her neck to try to look above the head of the students who were gawking around the earth fence perimeter the teachers had put up. She grimaced as she realized she had no chance of seeing what the damage was.

"I could lift you up." Shepard offered, with a grin.

"Do you want to die?" Louise said, acidly. Shepard laughed.

Kirche bounded over at the sound of Shepard's laughter and draped herself over her shoulders shamelessly. "Oh Shepard, it's terrible, Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt stole the Staff of Destruction!" Tabitha followed in her wake soundlessly while Louise grinded her teeth rather loudly.

Shepard hummed. "What does it do?"

"It ... " Kirche furrowed her brows and splayed her fingers over her mouth. "That's a good question. Tabi?"

She shrugged.

"Well it was used by the Gandalfr to fight the Varyag and the Elves. So presumably it's quite strong." Louise volunteered. "But did he steal anything else? I'd be surprised if he didn't, the vault is full of treasure."

"I heard a little bit is gone, but not much really." Sakura muttered, her hands in a strange prayer position. "Hm. Looks like they're going to do search parties, try to figure out what direction he went so they have something for the royal knights to use."

"Are you spying on them?" Louise hissed. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Of course." Sakura cocked her head. "Oh, they're going to ask the students to help them."

"Makes sense, cover more ground that way." Taylor said with a nod.

"Kinda dangerous since Fouquet's supposed to be one of their strongest." Shepard said, frowning as Louise eagerly hurried back to the crowd.

"Students," Osmond started grandly.

\---

Louise's glare could char Shepard's head clean off if it was a fire spell. Shepard just smiled at Siesta and sipped at her tea as they sat on the rubble in front of the vault. Kirche and Tabitha were quietly discussing alchemy homework with each other while Montmorency coolly ignored Guiche who had impressively begged for her forgiveness for the past hour or so. Sansa was dozing off on a mutually sleepy Taylor while a fascinated Sakura put a glowing green palm on Tabitha's dragon, Slyphid.

"I cannot believe you got me put on guard duty." Louise snapped finally.

"Patience, young padawan." Shepard quoted with some mirth, before sobering a little. "Look you're just a kid, you shouldn't be chasing after people who can make giant rock monsters that can step on you."

"I'm seventeen. I am not a child!" Louise exclaimed, scowling.

"Look, Louise, when there's no fire and you risk your life, you just look like an asshole." Shepard said, exasperated. Montmorency sniffed.

"Your familiar is so crude, Zero, you should do something about her manners!" Montmorency snapped.

"Yeah, Zero!" Guiche repeated. Montmorency rolled her eyes.

"I'm from the military, you should be happy that I'm not worse." Shepard remarked, with a smirk.

"Hmph! Mage knights are epitome of refinement and nobility!" Montmorency declared.

"I've got a bridge to sell you then." Taylor murmured. Shepard laughed and Montmorency bristled, her blonde ringlets shaking in indignation.

"You've got a lot of--,"

A hard clump of dirt hit Guiche on the side of the head, sending him senseless to the floor. Shepard jumped to her feet with a blazing yellow light from her arm, but dirt walls rose above to cover them in a dome. Shepard fiddled with a dial on her screen, making her sword light brighter in the sudden darkness.

Kirche glared at the walls and raised her wand, but Louise tackled her shoulder.

"Don't you dare, Zerbst! Damn you, don't you Germanians know anything about limited air in enclosed spaces and fire spells!?" Louise's scared tone got to Kirche who put her wand down embarrassedly.

"Clever." Tabitha said, as she poked Guiche's leg who was currently being fussed over by Montmorency.

"Yeah, take out the earth mage and then cover them in a dome of dirt." Taylor said with a yawn. "Same thing I would have done on his limited information that we're a bunch of mages."

Shepard's grin looked demonic in the light. "But we're not just a bunch of mages." She rose her light arm to the ceiling where Sakura was hanging off of it with her fist cocked back.

\---

Matilda, in the end, couldn't help herself.

The problem was, it was just so easy. Enough money for the orphanage and her to live easy and all she had to do was trick a bunch of dumb nobles who couldn't even see pass their nose.

So she put on her Longueville outfit for the last time, fed them some cock and bull story about Fouquet golems being sighted all over, and then rob the vault for all its worth.

It all went to hell when the dome exploded and that pink haired demon came out.

Her golem that was shoving all the glittery ecu and jewels into its stomach exploded when she punched it. Matilda launched a volley of boulders, but the girl just punched them and jumped off the last one towards her fuck fuck--

Rolling backwards, she avoided the fist that exploded ground where she was and slashed at her with a dot level spell that launched needle like stone to punch through torso. The girl pulled out a strange knife and smashed them out of the air as Matilda desperately tried melting the ground underneath her and found she could stand on it anyways. Dancing on a thread's edge, she used every trick in her book and made up some more on the spot to keep her distance away. Her hair was matting to her eyes due to fear sweat but she didn't dare let up her barrage against her.

Eventually, it was her body that gave up on her. An awkward twist of the legs on a pile of coins and she fell. Matilda scrambled upwards, but she flinched as the fist came towards her face

"Give up yet?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. Breathing too hard, she couldn't say a thing, but she just nodded as she collapsed to her knees. She found herself restrained to an ostentatious jewelled oak chair and the bunch of them stared at her.

"So ... what do we do with Fouquet?"


	9. 1.8 The Fouquet Accord

"I say we send him to the court to be hanged." Montmorency spat. One look at the woozy Guiche next to her explained her rage quite simply.

Shepard raised her hands diplomatically. "Whoa, isn't he just a thief? That seems excessive to the crime."

"Stealing from nobles is punishable by death." Louise explained.

Shepard ran her hand through her hair. "Isn't there a prison for criminals? You know, building with no exits, plenty of time to think about your crimes, tendency to commit human rights violations against prisoners?"

"This is a Renaissance era society with Earth mages." Taylor pointed out. Everyone except Shepard looked confused at the reference.

"Well fuck." Shepard muttered, cupping her chin. Then a curious Sakura flipped the hood off of Fouquet's face, shocking the nobles.

"Miss Longueville!" Montmorenchy said, scandalized. "I-I've done errands for you!! You're a noble!!"

"I'm a mage." She corrected before smirking. "You high necked nobles couldn't even comprehend Fouquet was right under your noses?

"Don't be so proud of fooling schoolchildren." Taylor said dryly. Fouquet's smirk disappeared.

"W-well, this doesn't change anything! She should still be executed!!" Montmorency sputtered. Sakura snorted and turned on her with a condescending sneer.

"That's easy for you to say, you child." Sakura folded her arms and took swift steps into Montmorency's personal space. "Have you ever killed? Have you ever seen the life slip out of someone's eyes as you hold them? Have you?"

"N-no!" She snapped back, holding Guiche's hand tightly.

"Then you don't have any idea how precious life is." Sakura said tightly. She felt Shepard's hand on her shoulder and stepped back. Montmorency let out a breathe.

"I have a better idea." Shepard said, quirking her eyebrows. "How about we snap her wand, enlist her into Louise's service, and we'll keep an eye on her?"

"That's insane!" Montmorency sputtered out, as Sakura snapped the wand in her fist.

"What?!" Louise started.

"Do I have a choice in this?" Fouquet complained.

"Look, she can't beat us and the death penalty is excessive for her crimes. Sakura, you can make a human male hand right? I remember you talking about flesh reconstruction for your medical techniques." Shepard asked.

"Well, I usually have a team to do something like that, but ..." Sakura looked thoughtful. "I've seen their medical textbooks, I doubt they can tell the difference between a real hand and one that has a few mistakes ..."

"No! No way! She hurt my Guiche, she's stolen from my family and countless others, she's not getting away with it!" Montmorency yelled, gripping her wand.

"500 ecu." Shepard said bluntly.

"What?" She said, off balance.

"I've got 500 ecu and combined with the rest of our salaries, I'm sure we have over a thousand ecu. If you drop this, I'll give it to you." She offered. Montmorency turned red with rage.

"I am not some slattern that upturns her skirts for coin!!" She roared. Shepard winced and put her hands on her hips. Taylor cocked her head in thought.

"How about medical knowledge that's at least six hundred years ahead of yours?" Taylor observed. Montmorency paused, blinking as she tried to comprehend.

"Oh. Ohhhhh." Shepard tapped her light screen until an anatomical model came up in full color. Montmorency's eyes widened in awe as Guiche threw up to the side at the sight of organs.

"That's, that's not possible ..." Montmorency whispered as she reached out to touch it. "The years and skill to craft something so detailed ..."

Shepard turned it off, much to her irritation. "Sorry free show's over. But for the price of letting one measly thief go, priceless medical knowledge can be yours." She grinned shamelessly.

"I'll throw in some tutoring too, if you want." Sakura said with a shrug. "I've studied most of it already."

Montmorency grinded her teeth as she tightened her grip on her wand.

\---

"So you cut off Fouquet's arms." Osmond said slowly as he stared at Shepard. His straying hands were staying by his side as Shepard was splattered in blood. The rest of them were behind her, silent in the trauma they had witnessed.

"Yup!" She said far too cheerfully. "He got away, but even if he survives, I doubt he'll be able to do magic with his feet."

"I, yes, that is not quite, uh, possible ..." He agreed as he poked the gruesome limbs of Fouquet. "Well I suppose the case is closed on Fouquet's career. As for the rest of you, I will request the imperial court to confer upon you the title of Chevalier, I believe that we should have news of it soon. And since Tabitha already has the title of chevalier, I will request that she be given the Elven Medallion.”

Everyone beamed at the news.

"Wow, really?!" Louise exclaimed. Osmond nodded as he stroked his beard.

"You quite deserve it." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Oh, by the way, before I forget, the Ball of Frigg is tonight, all of you will be the main stars so wear your best clothes." He paused. "Except for poor Mister Gramont. He shall be in the sickbay until his head clears."

Montmorency's face tightened as they bowed and left.

"I want lessons at noon sharp tomorrow." She snapped at Sakura and turned on her heel and left. Sakura stared after her with an evil smile. Sansa looked at her tentatively.

"Ahm, should I ask?" Sansa said.

"I've always wanted someone to inflict Tsunade-sama's teachings on." She bared her teeth in an evil grin. Kirche looked amused.

"I do not think Miss Montmorency will know what will hit her." She said wryly. Kirche cocked her hips as she grinned at a wary Louise. "So, Valliere, what are you going to wear to the ball?"

"Something nice." She said tersely. Kirche grinned slyly.

"I surely hope so, Valliere." She said, before swaying off with Tabitha. Louise stared after her before shaking her head and mumbling something about crazy Germanians.


	10. 1.9 The Ball Part 1

Louise held her arms up for Sansa as she laced up her dress, frowning in thought. Shepard was stretching after stepping out of her armour while Sakura tentatively sniffed at her perfumes to find the best one. Taylor was reading with a petulant Fouquet on the bed. After cutting her hair for the arms, they had made her write a resignation letter to the Academy and contract to Louise while Sakura made a seal to track her and put her to sleep in a few moments to prevent her escaping her service. This had been demonstrated during the multiple escape attempts Fouquet made in the past seven hours.

"Taylor," Sakura said suddenly. "I was thinking about your brain damage."

Taylor blinked slowly. "That's kinda weird but okay. What's up?"

"You said a small metal slug entered your skull with enough force to penetrate the bone mass." She swirled a small crystal bottle of perfume and stared at Taylor through the mirror on Louise's vanity. "You ... shouldn't be alive from my understanding. There should be catastrophic damage to your brain tissue, your bones plates should have healing fractures, it's just inconceivable from the data I've collected from examining you.

"There are a lot of people with bullshit powers where I'm from." Taylor said quietly. But she was right. Why would anyone help her after what she did? As far as she knew, Panacea was still a wreck and Riley would have made her half cyborg.

Sakura continued, ignorant to Taylor's grim thoughts. "The brain damage is completely inconsistent from what I've studied. In fact, I think ... " She hesitated.

"Sakura." Taylor said.

"It was deliberate. Through surgery, not through the injury you described." Sakura finished.

There was a long silence.

"Someone touched your brain?" Fouquet asked, disgusted. Taylor shrugged, half heartedly.

Louise sighed. Why did her ... employees have to talk about this before the ball? Honestly. She smiled at Sansa who was in one of Louise's other dresses.

"You look wonderful Lady Valliere," Sansa said, smiling back. "I'm sure all the young men will want to dance with you."

Louise sighed at the thought, causing Sansa to frown while Shepard walked over.

"Everything alright Louise?" She asked. Louise grimaced, balling up her skirt in her fists.

"Its just ... I don't have anyone to dance with." She said lamely.

"But you're the hero tonight, Lady Valliere!" Sansa said fiercely. "Surely you can see your allure?"

Louise blushed. "Uhm, I just, don't want to dance with any of them."

"Ah." Shepard said in understanding. She put a hand on Louise's shoulder. "Then don't."

"But they're expecting me to be there! I have to dance with someone!!" Louise exclaimed, flustered.

"Then dance with Lady Zerbst, or Tabitha or even Lady Montmorency." Sansa offered quietly. "They were there with you against Fouquet."

Fouquet grunted from where she reading about the fictional adventures of Titania the Sea Serpent.

Louise chewed her lip. Zerbst was intolerable though she was getting better as of late weirdly enough, Montmorency had barely tolerated the nearly criminal arrangement she had with Fouquet which made her a pseudo ally? Or a possible enemy. Tabitha hadn't really done anything to her or for her ...

\---

Tabitha liked eating food. It made her happy for a little while and one never knew when their next meal was coming. It was best to stock up. She was cutting into a juicy roast turkey leg, parting the skin and into the meat with ease with the knife. There was suddenly an intruder when she put the dripping piece in her mouth.

"Miss Tabitha." It was Valliere. Tabitha had already subconsciously grabbed her wand and stared at her, noting the exits, dangers, and obstacles. Slyphid was right outside so she could fly up and take the wall down behind her-

"I wish to dance with you." Tabitha gave a long blink at Louise's outstretched hand.

"No." Tabitha went back to eating as Louise twitched and her hand drooped, before tightening in a fist.

"Tabitha, how dare you refuse a perfectly good invitation-," Tabitha, bored of her rant already, pulled out her wand to blow her away, but a hand clamped on her wrist, arresting her arm movements absolutely. She twitched violently, trying to pull herself out of the iron grip.

"No attacking Louise." Shepard chided as she then let go of her. Tabitha stared at her, still as stone to hide her quickening breath, thinking about defenestrating the older woman. Shepard smiled lightly with a plate of food in her other hand. Louise cleared her throat and Shepard gave her a look.

"Just ask her nicely Louise." Shepard said. Louise bristled before taking a deep breath.

"Tabitha, may you grant me the honor of a dance?" Louise said grandly before offering her hand anew to Tabitha.

Tabitha stared at Shepard's plate, before taking her hand. Louise looked surprised, before mastering it into a small smug smile. She was a little relieved that she didn't have to say anything during the dance as she was shaking during it, though she performed excellently as taught. Tabitha looked at Louise who smiled back at her widely. It was ... nice to have a dance partner that wasn't a foot taller than her for once.

For dancing, they did well.

\---

Matilda drank her wine with a sour face as she watched the idiotic nobles make a fool out of themselves. Sakura sat in the chair next to her, enjoying a bowl of grapes and some kind of sweet roll.

"I didn't think you'd still be here." Colbert said, from behind them. Fouquet whirled around with her hand in the attacking position before realizing she didn't have a wand anymore while Colbert did the same with his actual wand. He blinked in surprise.

"I broke her wand." Sakura explained, before munching on her sweet bread.

"You ... defeated her?" He asked in astonishment.

Sakura shrugged. "S'not like it was hard." Matilda gave her a sour look before looking at Colbert warily.

They stared at each other in silence. The Flame Snake looked at the Crumbling Dirt who looked back in defiance ...

"She's given up her ways to work for Louise." Sakura spoke up after finishing her roll. "And she's under strict parole until she's done."

"Oh for Brimir's sake, you don't have to tell him!" Matilda complained, grabbing another sweet roll and throwing it at Sakura who caught it.

"How do you even enforce it?" He asked, confused.

"I have a spell that puts her to sleep and another to track her down." Sakura said, having a deep desire to not get into jutsu mechanics with these people. She tried it once and the kid just stared at her blankly before walking away quickly.

"That's quite extraordinary." Colbert said, intrigued.

"I'm not explaining it. You guys can't do it." Sakura said, firmly. Colbert nodded, disappointed.

"Well ... I'm actually glad you're still here, Miss Longueville." Colbert said. Matilda held up a hand. Sakura watched as she ate grapes.

"It's Matilda. And why the hell are you glad? I beat the hell out of you when I ambushed you." She said, tilting her head while frowning.

"Well I enjoyed our company despite the fact you pumped me for information and beat the hell out of me." He said. "I find you a fascinating, intelligent, and beautiful woman."

"Are you ... hitting on me?" Matilda asked in astonishment. "I broke your arms!"

"Ah, the school has good healers on staff." He said waving it away. "Aside from those unimportant things, I'd like to take you to a delightful cafe I know. My fire dragon, Stein, is not as fast as the wind dragons, but I must say the seating is far superior."

"He's taking you on a date." Sakura said gleefully as she munched on her grapes.

Matilda held her head. "Oh fucking horseshit, this cannot be happening."

Colbert looked uncertain. "Is that a no, Matilda?"

" ... I don't like cafes, I prefer restaurants."

"As you wish."


	11. 1.10 The Ball Part 2

Louise was tired after several dances with Tabitha, who was strangely excellent at dancing for someone so introverted. She sipped at her watered down wine in a chair as she contemplated the rest of the dancers. It was largely awkward despite obvious signs of training. Not many was truly comfortable in their skin except for Kirche who effortlessly flirted with a large crowd of admirers. Sansa was nibbling on a lemoncake next

"Miss Valliere." Louise looked up to see Dubois, a third year boy she distinctly recalled laughing at her during her failures, holding out his hand to her. "May I have the honor of a dance?"

Louise delicately set her wine glass down. "No, you may not."

His face tightened unpleasantly. "My family is an ally of the Vallieres."

"You're a retainer that we do minor business with." Louise corrected to her perverse amusement. He snarled in rage, his lip curling to reveal his teeth. Louise leaned back as Sansa went still.

"You little bitch-," He gripped his wand, but then Kirche sidled into the space next to him confidently. Shepard was striding towards them with a plate of food and a deep frown.

"Hello Dubois," She said, smirking. "I see you're conversing with Miss Valliere."

He affected a calm facade but retained a faint grimace. "I ... was."

"Well let me borrow her for a moment, she thinks Tristainian dances are superior to Germanian dances and I must show her wrong." Kirche dragged Louise away as Shepard stepped next to Sansa.

Louise struggled with her tongue for a moment. "Thanks."

Kirche laughed. "No need to be grateful Valliere, that boy irritates me. I enjoy the opportunity to tweak his nose. Now, let me show you how a Germanian dances."

Louise suddenly had a bad feeling as Kirche wrapped her ankle around hers.

\---

As the fast pace of the orchestra ended, Louise gasped for breath. Kirche held Louise's red face in one hand as she dipped the girl low and Louise swore she almost seemed ... gentle. Then there was the applause and she yelped as she realized she was far too close to the other girl's body and ran off to one of the balconies.

Oh Brimir, she danced with a Zerbst! Mother was surely going to tan her hide for this.

"Louise!" Kirche called out from behind her as Louise quickly stepped down the stairs to the garden. "Hey!"

Louise turned and rounded on her. "Y-you put me under some kind of spell!"

Kirche laughed at her, much to her irritation. "Valliere I didn't put you under kind of spell, that was just having fun."

Louise blinked and grabbed a lock of her own hair. "W-what?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised how well you kept up Valliere!" Kirche said cheerfully. "Most lose their grip halfway and make a fool of themselves!"

Louise glared at her. "You wanted me to make a fool of myself?!"

Kirche chuckled nervously as she looked to the side. "Eh heh, maybe ..."

"You absolute jerk!" Louise yelled, furiously stalking towards the girl with fists raised. Kirche smoothly slipped out of her heels and started running away from Louise. Running circles around Louise while insulting her, it eventually ended in Kirche and Louise both heaving for breath in their beautiful dirtied gowns.

"I'm, I'm going to get you Zerbst ..." Louise said between breaths. Kirche didn't answer, but instead looked at herself before she started laughing. She fell on the dirt.

"Haha, that really hurt. Stupid rocks." Kirche said chuckling. Louise stared at her.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm tired. Don't want to keep doing our generations long feud right now." Kirche waved her wand and Louise could feel the rocks under her thin sandals disappear. "That's better."

Stunned, Louise just sat down. Then she punched Kirche on the shoulder.

"Ow! Hey!" Kirche said, offended. Louise folded her arms.

"That's for trying to make me look like a fool."

"True. You do that well enough by yourself." Kirche said airily. Louise wanted to punch her again, but she was tired too. So she lied down next to Kirche under the two moons. The breeze was peaceful as the silence relaxed.

"Sometimes I wish I was a star." Kirche mumbled.

"Shepard has a ship amongst the stars." Louise whispered back.

"Wow, that sounds amazing ..."


	12. 2.0 Her Majesty

Five silver-helmeted unicorns led a carriage on the road to the Magic Academy. The carriage was exquisitely adorned with silver filigree and sculptures. Those sculptures were the Royal Seals. On one of those, a unicorn with a crystal decorated horn signaled that the carriage belonged to the Princess.

They were all unicorns which by legend only let the purest girls ride them. Legend was horseshit in reality and let any woman handle them regardless, but tended to be mean bastards to anyone they didn't trust. All of them were raised by Princess Henrietta's hands and a small coterie of women. They had blinders to prevent them from mauling the commoners who were cheering furiously for the Princess that was smiling for them.

Behind the Princess’s carriage was Cardinal Mazarin, who according to rumor, held all Tristain political authority with an iron grip since His Majesty passed away. His carriage’s splendor was not less than Her Majesty's. In fact, his was even more embellished. There was a division of mage guards around the carriages called the Imperial Guard and commoner guards that the Cardinal had made called the Storm Guard.

Cardinal Mazarin stepped out of his carriage much to the delight of the commoners surrounding them and entered Henrietta's carriage. She was sitting next to her familiar Alim, a rare sea serpent baby. It clawed up the side of its bowl and shook its mane which splattered water everywhere, making the Cardinal shake his head as the Princess giggled.

"Good afternoon Cardinal." She greeted.

"Why did you have to bring that infernal beast?" He grumbled as he settled across from her. Alim yawned at him, baring his many rows of teeth.

"I need all the protection I can get, Cardinal." She reminded him. "Even if you've assumed the public position of being ruler, the assassination attempts have only been halved."

"Onto me." He said, frowning thinly. "I don't understand that man ..."

She shrugged. "We can hardly discuss it here. Now onto the usual lessons, Cardinal?"

\---

Louise was glad that Shepard had found the two of them before they slept the night in the dirt. As it was, she was still worried she was unkempt for the arrival of the princess. Her employees were behind her, looking impressive and impassive as they stood in line with the rest of the students. She wondered if she even remembered her ...

“Her Royal Highness of the Kingdom of Tristain, Princess Henrietta has arrived!” The guards announced. Louise's breath caught as she saw her Majesty stepping out of the carriage with the Cardinal's help. She had grown into a beautiful young woman and she warred between jealousy and admiration. Her familiar waddled behind her, looking ungainly but somehow adorable as it followed her. Sea Serpents grew into huge beast and it was rumored that there was no end to their size. Louise hoped that the Princess acquired a seaside lodge for it.

Then she swallowed her tongue when she saw the Viscount Wardes. To her embarrassment, he had his hair tied up in the red ribbon she had given him those years ago. He looked around stoicly, but seemed to smile slightly at the sight of her and she ducked her head in blazing embarrassment.

Shepard frowned.

\---

"Should have known this world had arranged marriages." Shepard muttered, holding her nose with her fingers. The room was very crowded as Montmorency was studying the heavily modified textbook Sakura had made while asking Sakura questions while Guiche brushed her hair lovingly, having been discharged from the hospital later that day. Kirche was studying with Tabitha on Louise's enormous bed while Taylor slept. Sansa knit in a corner, making some kind of woven scarf.

"And what's wrong with that?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"He's way too old for you." Shepard said flatly.

"He's twenty one, that's hardly old." Louise protested.

"You're seventeen Louise, you're too young to get married." Shepard explained, pushing her hair back. She looked at the rest of them for back up and sighed at the sight.

Louise folded her arms. "You're being ridiculous Shepard. I am of the age majority and my marriage to the Viscount Wardes isn't going to happen for quite a while."

Shepard sighed. "Well fine, but just remember that you don't have to marry him if you don't want to. I--"

There was an orderly knocking at the door. Kirche jumped up from the bed eagerly. "Oooh, maybe it's the Viscount himself, here to sweep Louise off her feet for a midnight rendezvous!"

Against Louise's protests, she opened the door to reveal a dark figure, who seemed to stare at the crowded room.

"Did I ... come at a bad time?" They asked weakly as they stepped in and performed several secrecy spells.

"Not really, but who are you?" Shepard asked, stepping forward. They let down their hood to reveal the Princess of Tristain, sending half the room down to their knees.

"None of that!" Henrietta exclaimed. She let the serpent in her arms out from under her cloak and knelt down to hug Louise who looked terrified. "Oh, Louise, Louise, my dear Louise!"

"Uhm, why the hell are you here?" Shepard asked, frowning. The sea serpent waddled up to Sansa who cooed and started scratching it's belly.

Henrietta grimaced. "I ... need help."


	13. 2.1 Embarkening!

"What kind of help?" Shepard asked warily. Henrietta squared her shoulders and took a breath as she rose from her hug.

"I need a small group of competent people to fetch a letter from Albion. People who took down Fouquet fit that bill quite neatly." She explained with a thin smile.

"And you can't ask your own soldiers because ...?" Shepard asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Someone in the mage guard or high up in my bureaucracy is compromised." Henrietta started pacing. "I've had assassination attempts on my life that have to involve high level inside help. I need outsiders I can trust." She grabbed Louise's hand and held it tightly with a genuine smile.

"Of course, my highness." Louise mumbled.

"I shall do it, Princess!" Guiche shouted, eyes full of absolute loyalty. Montmorency halfhearted smacked him for it, as she too was full of devotion. Shepard sighed resignedly at the sight.

"So where exactly is the letter and why do you want it retrieved?" Sakura asked, folding her arms.

"I ... wrote inappropriate things. Things that could get my wedding to the Germanian King canceled." She said, grimacing. Kirche grinned slyly. "It is with Prince Wales of Albion I believe."

" ... Why wouldn't he just burn the letter if it's such a problem?" Taylor asked with a yawn. Louise scowled.

"Such a favor such as that would never be casually destroyed, Taylor!" She said reproachfully.

"And Wales is dreadfully sentimental." Henrietta said with a fond sad sigh. "I'm afraid he would never destroy it."

"Thus you need us." Sansa said quietly. Henrietta nodded.

"Thusly."

"Oh this is just too great! A princess asks us to go on a daring mission to decide the fates of countries!! Kirche the Ardent gladly accepts!" Kirche exclaimed, jumping up to pose while Louise rolled her eyes. A miniscule frown formed on Tabitha's face.

"Alright." Tabitha said with a tiny sigh. Kirche looked down from her silly pose and frowned.

"Tabi, you don't need to come with me if you--," Tabitha cut her off with a firm shake of her head.

"Worry." She explained. Kirche smiled tightly and hugged her spontaneously.

"Your majesty ... you seem to care for Prince Wales. But you do not specify rescuing him." Sansa said slowly. Henrietta looked to the side with a tight angry look.

"I do care for him. But he's a fool." She said. "He'll stay with his burning country until the end. If you somehow do convince him to come, I would bless you with all my gold. But he will not."

Shepard looked thoughtful. "Oh we're real convincing."

Louise shot her a wary look that Shepard ignored. Sakura cocked her head. "So are we to steal the letter from the Prince?"

Henrietta shook her head. "I have a letter and ring that will convince him of your fealty. He will hand it over."

Louise bit her lip nervously. "Princess, I was wondering that if I could ask a favor of you ..."

Henrietta laughed, a beautiful sound. "Louise I am asking the world of you. Go ahead."

"I wish to borrow the Founder's Prayer Book." She said quickly, as if to rip the bandaid off quickly. Instead of looking offended like she expected, the princess was thoughtful.

"I think I can arrange that. The bridesmaid of a wedding usually gets the Founder's Prayer Book for the vows." She said tapping the side of her face with a finger.

"I thought the book was blank." Shepard said.

"It is, the book eats all the ink. It's a test of the bridesmaid memory and devotion to the princess." Henrietta explained. She added cheekily. "They used to throw her in the dungeons if she couldn't recite them correctly."

Louise turned white as Henrietta giggled. "I'm just joking! We don't do that anymore."

"Oh ..." Louise mumbled, imagining being in a frilly dress in the dungeons. The rats ...

"Now this was a larger party than I expected really ..." Henrietta said looking around with a frown.

"We probably have one more joining too." Sakura said, thinking of Matilda who was currently on a date with Colbert.

"I also have one more person to add to your group." She said worriedly. "I'm not sure if you have far too many in number."

"I can take them." Everyone looked in shock at the sea serpent speaking up suddenly. Henrietta looked panicked especially.

"Alim!" She hissed. He smiled at her.

"I have a good feeling about this bunch." He hopped out of Sansa's lap and grew two times his size to nuzzle his head into her hands. "Time is of the essence and I know you can protect yourself, my dear Etta."

Henrietta scrunched her cheeks like she was about to cry. "Oh Alim! I've never been away from you since I've summoned you!"

He rumbled a soft chuckle. "You are strong and good. Believe in yourself."

"Oh, I will Alim!" She promised. "I will!"

\---

The next morning, Alim and Slyphid was waiting for them in an empty courtyard. Alim was the size of a large housecat, playfully evading Slyphid's batting strikes. They stopped at the sight of the group, and Alim started to grow at a rapid rate.

"That breaks so many laws of physics and nature ..." Shepard muttered as she watched him turn into the size of Slyphid and three times as long.

"The Princess must be extraordinary to have such an extraordinary familiar!" Guiche admired. Matilda just gave a long suffering groan.

"Yes, Sea Serpents tend to eat their masters upon being summoned." A man with a hat said as he landed with his griffin. Shepard gave him a flinty look.

"You must be Wardes." She said flatly. Louise glared at Shepard who ignored it.

"I am." He gave a flourish of a bow to them. "You must all be Louise's familiars."

"Employees." Shepard correctly as she held her hand for a shake that he took bemused.

"Did she not do the Contract Familiar ritual with you?" He inquired as he took a book from his griffin's saddlebags.

"No, only on me." Sansa said quietly. He peered at her inquisitively and she showed her runes on her hand.

"Huh. I don't think I've ever seen those markings before." He said as he handed the book to Louise, who smiled in sudden glee.

"This is a First Edition copy of Beastology of The World by Trobbins! How did you get it Wardes?!" She asked. He grinned.

"It wasn't easy my dear Louise, the man I got this from was quite stubborn but Mother let me give him some of her old research..." He told her the story as they walked to his griffin and prepped for the journey. Meanwhile, Shepard stared a hole into his head.

"Seriously Shepard, this is a different world with different values." Taylor said, patting her on the shoulder. "What are you worried about?"

"She's known him since she was ten." Shepard said tersely. "She could have been child groomed or he's secretly an asshole or a robot bent on wiping out humanity."

Taylor gave her a long look. "Look she only had sporadic visits from him, if you were there for the same conversation I was and we can handle an asshole or a robot bent on destroying humanity."

Shepard sighed. "Fine, I'm getting a little too wrapped up in this. But arranged marriages seem skeezy to me ... I had a couple of friends that went that route on my Earth."

Taylor nodded. "But you can't push your ideals onto this. Just ... let it run its course. If it happens, it happens. Doesn't, doesn't."

"Hey, we could use some help here!" Matilda said annoyed. Shepard chuckled embarrassed as she ran to the packages.


	14. 2.2 Strategy

They arrived at the city of Port La Rochelle in a day though Shepard insisted on a short break to give Taylor, Sakura, and Sansa a firearms lesson. Tabitha, Montmorency, and Kirche went off to buy supplies with their combined purse while Guiche was wrangled into She used Taylor as a demonstration of how to perform gun stance, gun safety, breathing techniques, and more. She gave Taylor her pistol and after adjusting for the lack of recoil, Taylor did fairly well though the targets that were far away at thirty yards were difficult for her. Sakura absorbed the information well, but after firing with the gun, she said she preferred kunai.

Then it was Sansa's turn. She looked hesitant, but as soon as she gripped the gun, the runes on the back of her hand glowed fiercely. They stared for a moment, in caution, wariness, shock.

"I know how to use this weapon," Sansa mumbled as she turned to the counter of the gun range and raised the gun. She fired six shots into the soft clay of the targets.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Taylor asked, eyeing the center holes.

"She hit the target center and she's never used a gun before." Shepard muttered, hand to her mouth. "What the fuck?"

She wheeled on Sansa. "Okay show me how to reload and take the gun apart."

Sansa, her own eyes unbelieving, reloaded the gun smoothly and then took it apart.

"Alright." Shepard folded her arms. "We need to talk to the mages."

\---

"What do you mean you guys don't know?" Sakura asked, glaring. Guiche shrugged helplessly, exemplifying the general feeling of the room they had rented to have this discussion.

"Familiar runes are not any of our expertise." He explained. "It's an obscure field of magic that hardly interests anyone."

"But ... the last familiar I heard of with those powers was the Gandalfr." Wardes said slowly.

They all stared at Louise who flustered. Kirche put her hands on her face while leaning backwards dramatically and made an incomprehensible noise.

"How can this be?!" She exclaimed. Tabitha rolled her eyes.

"Well we can worry about that later," Taylor said, droll. "The ship we're boarding said they're going finish packing our things in an hour and we only have about ten minutes to get there."

They nodded in reluctant agreement to table the discussion and headed out the room. The ship they had commandeered with noble authority and a bit of bribing was initially headed to Gallia to sell silks but the captain agreed to head to Albion.

It was night with the stars shining brightly when a ship, much larger than their own, appeared suddenly out of the clouds. The captain shouted for signal flags to be hauled. When they failed to respond, the crew started shouting and pulling the sails, working fairly calmly considering the twenty cannons on the broadside. Shepard frowned, aware of how close they were to their position and how crafty the other ship had.

"Do you think we could fly past them?" She asked, gaze focused.

Tabitha's gaze was just as keen. "Damage."

"Yes, she's right." Wardes agreed. "Two wind mages working together on this clipper would go faster than that ship, but we'll most likely destroy the sails with our magic and have to crash land on Albion."

"Not ideal." Taylor said dryly.

"I think we should just kick their asses and take their ship too." Sakura said cracking her knuckles. Kirche nodded with a smirk, sparks coming off of her wand.

"I don't think that's a great idea ... this boat is metal," Taylor stomped on the fine metal floor. "But that one looks wooden. Can you imagine a fire spell on that?" Kirche's smirk disappeared.

"Still, we have decent odds even without Miss Zerbst. I doubt pirates have more than one mage and uhm, Louise's employees." Wardes observed, coughing at the end. "I can fit two on Adelaide and Miss Tabitha can fit three on her wind dragon."

Sakura grinned widely. "I can jump once they get close enough."

Shepard's eyes got wide and excited. "Oh! You should throw me!"

"This is insane!" Louise blurted. "What if they fire on the ship while we're fighting?! The crew ....!"

"Yes, I'd like it if you'd take us into consideration." The Captain said dryly as she ran past with a bucket.

"Well pirates tend to not kill prisoners, if only to ransom them later." Wardes observed.

"Surrendering is insane too!" Montmorency protested. "We don't know what those vile villains will do."

"Actually, Mon mon, pirates do refrain from killing crews if only to keep the kingdoms from pursuing their heads relentlessly." Guiche quietly corrected. Montmorency frowned at him.

"So run, fight, surrender ..." Shepard put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath.


End file.
